Pion multiplicity in nuclear collisions

Data on the mean multiplicity of ^- produced in minimum bias proton-proton, proton-neutron and proton-nucleus interactions as well as central nucleus-nucleus collisions at momenta of 1.4–400 GeV/c per nucleon have been compiled and studied. The results for neutron-neutron and nucleon-nucleon interactions were then constructed. The dependence of the mean pion multiplicity in proton-nucleus interactions and central collisions of identical nuclei are studied as a function of the collision energy and the nucleus mass number. The number of produced pions per participant nucleon in central collisions of identical nuclei is found to be independent of the number of participants at a fixed incident momentum per nucleon. The mean multiplicity of negatively charged hadrons per participant nucleon for central nucleus-nucleus collisions is lower by about 0.12 than the corresponding multiplicity for nucleon-nucleon interactions atp _LAB 15 A·GeV/c, whereas the result at 200 A·GeV/c is above the corresponding nucleon-nucleon multiplicity. This may indicate change of the collision dynamics at high energy.     

Study of the energy flow in sulphur-and oxygen-nucleus collisions at 60 and 200 GeV/nucleon

Data on multiplicities of charged particles produced in proton-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions at 200 GeV per nucleon are presented. It is shown that the mean multiplicity of negative particles is proportional to the mean number of nucleons participating in the collision both for nucleus-nucleus and proton-nucleus collisions. The apparent consistency of pion multiplicity data with the assumption of an incoherent superposition of nucleon-nucleon collisions is critically discussed.     

Structures and angular distributions of slow and relativistic charged particles produced in 7Li-emulsion interactions at 3 GeV/c per projectile nucleon

Experimental results on the multiplicity distributions of various particles produced in the interactions of ⁷Li with emulsion nuclei at a momentum of 3 GeV/c per projectile nucleon are reported. A comparison with data on collisions induced by other nuclei at a nearly identical momentum per nucleon is presented in order to reveal the dependence on the projectile mass. The internal structure of ⁷Li is explored by studying the projectile fragment. The mean multiplicity of shower particles, 〈n _s〉, induced by ⁷Li is found to be less than that in the case of ⁶Li projectiles. The angular distributions of target fragments and relativistic charged secondaries are investigated. No shock-wave phenomena are observed. Forward-to-backward ratios are calculated for each case. The probability distributions for relativistic secondaries produced per unit rapidity are studied in detail, along with the rapidity densities and their dependence on the projectile and the target mass. A comparison of the angular spectra of shower particles produced in central and peripheral collisions supports the limiting-fragmentation hypothesis. The collisions in question seem to become more central with increasing shower-particle multiplicity.     

New scalings in nuclear fragmentation

Fragment partitions of fragmenting hot nuclei produced in central and semiperipheral collisions have been compared in the excitation energy region 4-10?MeV per nucleon where radial collective expansion takes place. It is shown that, for a given total excitation energy per nucleon, the amount of radial collective energy fixes the mean fragment multiplicity. It is also shown that, at a given total excitation energy per nucleon, the different properties of fragment partitions are completely determined by the reduced fragment multiplicity (i.e., normalized to the source size). Freeze-out volumes seem to play a role in the scalings observed.     

Production of mirror nuclei <Superscript>7</Superscript>Li and <Superscript>7</Superscript>Be in <Superscript>16</Superscript>O<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis> interactions at a momentum of 3.25 GeV/<Emphasis Type="Italic">c</Emphasis> per nucleon

Results of a comparative analysis of processes leading to the production of mirror nuclei ⁷Li and ⁷Be in ¹⁶Op collisions at a momentum of 3.25 GeV/c per nucleon are presented. A comparison of associated multiplicities of accompanying particles is performed. The first results on the mean multiplicity of neutrons appearing as fragments are described.     

Multiplicity and angular distributions of charged particles in interactions of Fe in emulsion at 2.5A GeV/c

Data are presented on multiplicity and angular distributions of charged secondary particles from inelastic interactions of ⁵⁶Fe in emulsion at 2.5A GeV/c. Comparisons with data, at nearby the same incident momentum per nucleon from p-A, ¹⁴N-A, ¹⁶O-A and ⁴⁰Ar-A collisions are performed in order to trace the dependence on projectile and target mass. Furthermore, the ⁵⁶Fe data are compared with the results from a cascade-evaporation model. This comparison shows some significant deviations between the model and the data which are not observed for light ion induced collisions.     

Neutrino propagation in a medium with a magnetic field

Data on the mean multiplicity of strange hadrons produced in minimum bias proton-proton and central nucleus-nucleus collisions at momenta between 2.8 and 400 GeV/c per nucleon have been compiled. The multiplicities for nucleon-nucleon interactions were constructed. The ratios of strange particle multiplicity to participant nucleon as well as to pion multiplicity are larger for central nucleus-nucleus collisions than for nucleon-nucleon interactions at all studied energies. The data at AGS energies suggest that the latter ratio saturates with increasing masses of the colliding nuclei. The strangeness to pion multiplicity ratio observed in nucleon-nucleon interactions increases with collision energy in the whole energy range studied. A qualitatively different behaviour is observed for central nucleus-nucleus collisions: the ratio rapidly increases when going from Dubna to AGS energies and changes little between AGS and SPS energies. This change in the behaviour can be related to the increase in the entropy production observed in central nucleus-nucleus collisions at the same energy range. The results are interpreted within a statistical approach. They are consistent with the hypothesis that the Quark Gluon Plasma is created at SPS energies, the critical collision energy being between AGS and SPS energies.     

Scaling of charged particle multiplicity in Pb–Pb collisions at SPS energies

The charged particle multiplicity distribution dN_ch/dη has been measured by the NA50 experiment in Pb–Pb collisions at the CERN SPS. Measurements were done at incident energies of 40 and 158 GeV per nucleon over a broad impact parameter range. The multiplicity distributions are studied as a function of centrality using the number of participating nucleons (N_part), or the number of binary nucleon–nucleon collisions (N_coll). Their values at midrapidity exhibit a power law scaling behaviour given by N_part^1.00 and N_coll^0.75 at 158 GeV. Compatible results are found for the scaling behaviour at 40 GeV. The width of the dN_ch/dη distributions is larger at 158 than at 40 GeV/nucleon and decreases slightly with centrality at both energies. Our results are compared to similar studies performed by other experiments both at the CERN SPS and at RHIC.     

Centrality dependence of the charged-particle multiplicity density at midrapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s(NN)] = 2.76 TeV

The centrality dependence of the charged-particle multiplicity density at midrapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=2.76 TeV is presented. The charged-particle density normalized per participating nucleon pair increases by about a factor of 2 from peripheral (70%-80%) to central (0%-5%) collisions. The centrality dependence is found to be similar to that observed at lower collision energies. The data are compared with models based on different mechanisms for particle production in nuclear collisions.     

Pion and proton production in forward and backward hemisphere in C-emulsion interaction at 4.5 GeV/c per nucleon

The paper presents an in-depth study on the forward and backward multiplicity correlations in case of pions and protons (from the target) based on the experimental data on ¹²C-emulsion interaction at 4.5 GeV/c per nucleon. The cumulative distribution of their emission angles in the backward hemisphere is presented. The asymmetry parameter (A) and the forward-backward ratio (F/B) as a function of the number of heavy particles (n_h) is also shown. The results reveal many interesting characteristics regarding the backward particle production.     

Inclusive excitation-energy distributions of hot nuclei from 44 MeV/nucleon Ar- and 32 MeV/nucleon Kr-induced reactions

Inclusive neutron multiplicity distributions were measured by means of 4π liquid-scintillator detectors for Ar and Kr-induced reactions at 44 MeV/nucleon and 32 MeV/nucleon, respectively. For all the systems studied, the observed distributions exhibit a bump structure at large multiplicity, corresponding to highly dissipative collisions. For Ar-induced reactions, the excitation energies necessary to explain the most probable neutron multiplicity associated with these dissipative collisions are estimated, the correspondence between excitation energy and neutron multiplicity being calculated in the framework of the statistical model. The so-obtained values of excitation energies, which are systematically lower than those predicted using the massive-transfer picture, are discussed.     

Study of vector mesons in dimuon production in a large kinematic region in p-W and S-W interactions at 200 GeV/c/nucleon

Results are presented on and production in p–W and S–W interactions at 200 GeV/c/nucleon measured via the dimuon decay in a large kinematic region. The data are normalized to the charged particle multiplicity in the same rapidity interval. They have been collected using the HELIOS/3 muon spectrometer at the CERN SPS. The ratio , where is the relevant resonance branching fraction, increases between proton and sulphur projectiles, and is somewhat enhanced going from peripheral to central S–W interactions. This results from an increase in the number of produced 's per charged particle. The ratio is measured in different intervals of p and rapidity. It is not clearly dependent on p, but is larger at higher rapidities. production, likewise normalized to charged multiplicity, is significantly lower in S–W compared to p–W interactions. Received: 27 October 1997 / Revised version: 5 March 1998 / Published online: 13 July 1998     

Charged-particle multiplicity density at midrapidity in central Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[S(NN)] = 2.76 TeV

The first measurement of the charged-particle multiplicity density at midrapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair √ S NN = 2.76 TeV is presented. For an event sample corresponding to the most central 5% of the hadronic cross section, the pseudorapidity density of primary charged particles at midrapidity is 1584 ± 4(stat) ± 76(syst), which corresponds to 8.3 ± 0.4(syst) per participating nucleon pair. This represents an increase of about a factor 1.9 relative to pp collisions at similar collision energies, and about a factor 2.2 to central Au-Au collisions at √ S NN = 2.76 TeV. This measurement provides the first experimental constraint for models of nucleus-nucleus collisions at LHC energies.     

Space-time evolution of the hadronic source in peripheral to central Pb+Pb collisions

Two-particle correlations of negative pions as a function of charged particle multiplicity are studied in Pb+Pb collisions at GeV per nucleon using the NA44 experiment at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron(SPS). We find that the source size parameters increase with the charged particle multiplicity. However the slope of the source size parameters plotted as a function of charged multiplicity is slightly larger at high multiplicity than at low multiplicity. The value of is independent of charged multiplicity. For Pb+Pb collisions, is larger than and for all multiplicity intervals, whereas these three radius parameters were approximately equal in S+Nucleus collisions. The ratios () and () for Pb+Pb data show almost no dependence on charged multiplicity. The duration of pion emission is constant at 3.81.1 fm/c as a function of the charged multiplicity in Pb+Pb collisions. Effective volume (V) is also calculated as V=, assuming a cylindrically shaped source. We found, within the limited statistics, the effective volume rapidly increases at high multiplicity. Received: 17 July 2000 / Revised version: 3 November 2000 / Published online: 8 December 2000     

Entropy in nuclear collisions

Data on the multiplicity of pions produced in nucleon-nucleon interactions and central collisions of identical nuclei are discussed using a statistical approach. It is argued that the suppression of the pion production observed at low energies (p _LAB <15>c per nucleon) is due to entropy transfer to baryons. The enhancement of the entropy production in central S+S collisions at 200 GeV/c per nucleon may be interpreted as manifestation of the increase, by a factor of about 3, of the effective number of degrees of freedom in the early stage of the collision.     

Directional Poissonic multiplicity distribution of protons — Indication of side splash phenomenon

This paper reports an interesting methodology to study ‘side splash’ phenomenon in the central²⁴Mg-AgBr interactions at 4.5 GeV/c per nucleon. This method is based on the study of coherence of the knocked out target protons by comparing the binwise multiplicity distribution with Poissonic distribution. An indication of “side splash” was observed.     

Exclusive measurements of light fragment production at forward angles in Ne-Pb and Ne-NaF collisions at E/A=400 MeV and 800 MeV

Emission of light fragments at small angles is studied in relativistic heavy ion collisions using the Diogene plastic wall for both symmetrical and non-symmetrical target-projectile systems with 400 MeV per nucleon and 800 MeV per nucleon incident neon nuclei. Efficiency of multiplicity measurements in the small angle range for the selection of central or peripheral collisions is confirmed for asymmetric systems. Differential production cross sections of Z = 1 fragments show evidence for the existence of two emitting sources. The apparent temperature of each source is obtained from comparison with a thermodynamical model.     

Pion suppression in nuclear collisions

The pion multiplicity per participating nucleon in central nucleus–nucleus collisions at the energies 2–15 AGeV is significantly smaller than in nucleon–nucleon interactions at the same collision energy. This effect of pion suppression is argued to appear due to the evolution of the system produced at the early stage of heavy–ion collisions towards a local thermodynamic equilibrium and further isentropic expansion. Received: 21 July 1997 / Revised version: 12 November 1997 / Published online: 26 February 1998     

Charged particle multiplicities and inelastic cross sections in high energy nuclear collisions

Inelastic cross sections at 60 and 200 GeV/nucleon are determined in a streamer chamber for ¹⁶O on several nuclear targets. Charged particle multiplicity distributions for inelastic and central collisions are studied and compared with theoretical predictions. The inelastic cross section exhibit a geometrical dependence on nuclear radii. The multiplicity data are governed by the collision geometry. They are consistent with a picture of superposition of independent nucleon-nucleus interactions.